To the Editor:
There will be no challenges in the upcoming Margaretville election, only the incumbents names will appear on the ballot. The March 18 election gives the village residents the opportunity to issue a “Report Card” on their sense of economic prog­ress and flood mitigation in the village. Since there are no challengers to the incumbents, voters have two options. You can either vote for the incumbent or make a comment in the write-in box.

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Thank you.

To The Editor:
I see that the vote is on the docket again to spend millions to prop up the aging Roxbury Central School building. It’s clear that it’s a beloved and central institution in the small town of Roxbury.
I have to challenge the idea that we should pour that much money into a school where soon there will only by 350 students (rough number). That’s over and above the $10 million we spend on the school budget each year. Again a rough number but that works out to $28,571 per student, a staggering sum.

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To The Editor:
In response to the recent article about the buyout program, I would like to point out here that if the city’s review process is too complex for the county to understand, then it is the county that can’t work with the city, not the other way around. The county, after all, has the option of asking for help from someone who does understand.

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To The Editor:
Last week’s article, “Village Rips DEP Buyout Plans”, deserves your attention. The article never talks about the real issue, but it is the story of the Village of Margaretville losing a financial power struggle with the community. The article concentrates on convincing the pub­lic a serious mistake has been made. It is the story about the village losing control of who can and cannot participate in a buyout.

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To The Editor:
The article in the February 4 issue about the Margaretville Village Board’s travails with DEP may present the need to confront a larger issue. Has the time come to end the Watershed MOA and Filtration Avoidance Waiver that goes with it? Both were signed in 1998. Back then, there were concerns that filtration on the scale New York City would need could be unworkable. Costs were uncertain, with estimates as high as $11 billion. This was a time when city finances were in dreadful condition, so the city couldn’t borrow, bond, or otherwise fund such a project. The agreement as signed offered financial benefits to both a beleaguered city and the watershed towns that host the water consumed by New York City.
Now, the city is thriving and its finances are sound.

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To The Editor:
As a health conscience mom, I tried to feed my kids right. Now, a grandma, a deeper concern has come into my life. It is Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods. I have learned that GMO foods are not the foods we ate as kids. They were developed in 1972. A GMO food is genetically changed from anything that nature could create.

To The Editor:
On January 24 I attended the annual Schoharie Water Quality Summit. The focus this year was on community action for flood mitigation and economic recovery after the recent flood events. Representatives from Prattsville, Sidney, and Walton talked about the programs in progress in each village. Each had a story of a major setback, a struggle to bring the community together, the slow development of plans to a way forward, how to pay for the work, and now the beginning of progress on the ground.

To The Editor:
Last Monday night, January 6 (and I pray to God) the final public hearing for the Crossroads project was held at Shandaken Town Hall.
Six of the seven Planning Board members presided over the meeting accompanied by their secretary, a stenographer (who arrived late), and the board’s lawyer. The tone was serious and official. The public was limited to three-minute statements and urged to keep it civil with a warning that speakers may be ordered to leave after making their comments if space became an issue. It didn’t.

To The Editor:
Thank you for last week’s article about the NY Rising Margaretville Bull Run project.
A key part of the NY Rising program is “that the projects be community driven.” The community needs to know about the projects and to have their questions and concerns addressed when there are major discrepancies between what is proposed and community expectations.